TikTok launches first major UK marketing campaign

TikTok, the short-form mobile video app, has launched its first major UK marketing campaign to run during the Christmas holiday period.

The premise of the app is to encourage its users to capture and present moments directly from their mobile phone, using the apps spread of creative tools.

TikTok emerged in 2016 when Bytedance, now the world’s largest internet start-up valued at $75bn, launched Douyin which was later rebranded as TikTok for international markets. After acquiring musical.ly for $1bn in 2017, Bytedance consolidated the two to create the global TikTok brand people know today.

After launching in China in 2016, the app has taken the millennial world by storm, experiencing rapid growth globally over the past year.

Recognising the UK as a strategic market, TikTok is looking to continue its period of rapid growth by launching a campaign that covers digital and paid social, alongside a large-scale out-of-home (OHH) effort.

Targeting the millennial generation, the campaign will be complemented with a series of Christmas and New Year related hashtags and challenges. At any given time, on the app, you can peruse at least five different challenges that trending on TikTok. Users are encouraged to respond to the "challenges" with their own content.

Focusing on Christmas themes, the campaign demonstrates how its users can capture content using the app to share with the TikTok audience.

As part of its OHH campaign, TikTok will plant itself in London's centre by taking over Piccadilly Street and Oxford Circus from today (December 17) until New Year's Eve.

Since the company was established in 2016, it is now available in 15 countries and in 75 languages.

Talking to The Drum recently about future opportunities for growth, TikTok's head of global marketing, Stefan Heinrich said: "We really want to keep on building a positive and rewarding community, and use our resources to empower everyone to be creative."

On the UK Christmas campaign, he said: “As a global community for self-expression, with easy video editing tools that enable anyone to share, interact and record real moments, we want TikTok to be part of this festive season and help people to celebrate this special holiday in a creative way. ”